Candy 16 exit for UConn
The ultimate Elite Eight spot is up for grabs.
No. 2 Maryland punched its ticket with a win over a battered up No. 3 Notre Dame as the ladies’s NCAA Event continued Saturday with Candy 16 matchups. No. 1 South Carolina stored its profitable streak alive with a victory over No. 4 UCLA.
Aliyah Boston and the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks are looking their second consecutive nationwide championship and have a slight hometown benefit on their facet – the Greenville Regional is lower than two hours away from their campus.
No. 2 UConn misplaced to Ohio State, failing to achieve the Elite Eight for the primary time since 2005. It is Geno Auriemma earliest match elimination in 18 years.
The final spot will both go to No. 1 Virginia Tech or No. 4 Tennessee, which hasn’t made it to the Elite Eight since 2016.
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Last: Ohio State 73, UConn 61 – Huskies’ Last 4 streak is over
SEATTLE — Behind 23 factors from Massive Ten freshman of the yr Cotie McMahon, third-seeded Ohio State pulled off one other stunner within the girls’s match, beating second-seeded UConn 73-61 and sending the Huskies packing.
The loss means UConn’s streak of 14 consecutive Last Fours is over.
The Huskies have been out of types all afternoon, totaling 25 turnovers. They threw it away 18 occasions within the first half alone, permitting Ohio State to construct as a lot as a 13-point lead. Ohio State turned these 25 turnovers into 23 factors.
Ohio State, which performs a model of basketball that hastens its opponents and causes havoc, had a solution each time UConn reduce into the lead the second half. Guard Jacy Sheldon, who missed many of the common season with an damage, was clutch for the Buckeyes, scoring 17 and going an ideal 10-of-10 from the free throw line. She additionally grabbed 7 rebounds and handed out 5 assists.
In the meantime UConn ahead Aaliyah Edwards, the Huskies’ high scorer, completed with simply 4 factors, taking part in solely 17 minutes due to foul bother.
The Buckeyes have been terrific at drawing fouls all recreation, and hit 22-of-30 free throws through the recreation. They advance to play the winner of top-seeded Virginia Tech vs. fourth-seeded Tennessee.
– Lindsay Schnell
Ohio State leads UConn at halftime
SEATTLE — Ohio State compelled UConn into 18 turnovers and held the Huskies with no area aim for nearly eight minutes, serving to the Buckeyes construct a 36-26 halftime lead.
Massive Ten freshman of the yr Cotie McMahon scored 18 factors to steer Ohio State, the third seed. UConn regarded all out of types within the first two quarters because the Buckeyes sped them up and compelled them into dangerous pictures and worse passes. The Buckeyes went on a 17-0 run to take the lead, and have been up as a lot as 13 at one level.
UConn ahead Aaliyah Edwards was largely a non issue, scoring simply two factors (she averages a team-high 17) and selecting up three fouls. She performed simply 9 minutes.
Ohio State has a behavior of getting sloppy throughout video games, so the Buckeyes’ focus will probably be enormous, particularly popping out of the locker room.
– Lindsay Schnell
Last: No. 1 South Carolina 59, UCLA 43
South Carolina stays undefeated. The Gamecocks held UCLA to solely 34 factors in a dominant efficiency and by no means trialed. It marks the Gamecocks’ thirty fifth win of the season, tying the varsity document, and their third-straight journey to the Elite Eight.
“It feels good to make historical past,” Aliyah Boston mentioned.
Boston was near a double-double, ending with 8 factors, 14 rebounds and two blocks, as was Victaria Saxton, who recorded 10 factors and 7 rebounds. South Carolina’s bench added 28 factors.
Neither crew shot nicely from past the arc – South Carolina went 4-for-16 from three and UCLA went 3-for-18 – however the Gamecocks’ 14 offensive rebounds allowed many second-chance alternatives. The Bruins’ 15 turnovers didn’t assist.
There was a scary second with 2:12 remaining within the recreation when Charisma Osborne was fouled arduous and landed awkwardly. She was the one Bruin to attain double digits with 14 factors.
South Carolina will play Maryland on Monday within the Elite Eight.
South Carolina up at halftime with stout defensive effort
South Carolina gave up solely six area objectives within the first half towards UCLA in main 25-15 at halftime within the Greenville Regional 1 Candy 16 motion.
The Bruins shot solely 27% within the first 20 minutes and South Carolina was no higher, hitting solely 33% of its pictures. UCLA made a concerted effort to pack the paint with defenders resulting in the fewest factors that South Carolina has scored in a half all season.
Brea Beal had 10 factors and 6 rebounds for the Gamecocks, who dominated the boards, particularly on the offensive finish. Aliyah Boston has 4 factors and 9 rebounds, taking solely 4 area aim makes an attempt.
Charisma Osborne and Kiki Rice, UCLA’s high two scorers, mixed to attain 5 factors.
Maryland makes use of huge second half to rout Notre Dame
Diamond Miller and Shyanne Sellers scored 18 factors apiece to steer a second-half blitz to place away Notre Dame 76-59 in the Greenville Regional 1 Candy 16.
Maryland strikes on to the Elite Eight and can tackle the winner of UCLA and South Carolina.
Sellers added eight assists, 5 rebounds and three steals for Maryland, who led by as many as 22 within the second half.
The Terrapins trailed by one at halftime, however outscored the Irish by 13 within the third quarter and continued to pour it on from there.
Notre Dame turned it over 25 occasions, solely hit two of its 10 pictures from past the arc and could not keep out of foul bother.
Sonia Citron had 14 factors, seven rebounds and 4 assists for the Irish and was the one Notre Dame participant to attain in double figures.
Miami coach Katie Meier exhibiting her style sense
Kim Mulkey gained’t be the one one drawing consideration for what she’s carrying on the sidelines.
The LSU coach went viral Friday for a jacket that was one half Elton John, one half Muppets and one half tea social gathering. Requested what she thought Mulkey may get away for Sunday’s Elite Eight recreation towards her Miami crew, Hurricanes coach Katie Meier mentioned she didn’t know.
“However I will put on overalls,” Meier mentioned. “As a result of alternative is missed by lots of people as a result of it is dressed up in overalls and appears like work, so I am carrying overalls. Put it on the market.”
– Nancy Armour
Notre Dame makes use of environment friendly second quarter to take halftime lead over Maryland
Notre Dame overcame early turnovers and put collectively an 11-0 run within the second quarter to take a 32-31 lead within the Greenville Regional 1 Candy 16 matchup towards Maryland.
The Irish turned it over eight occasions within the first quarter however used their dimension to achieve offensive rebounds to get second-chance alternatives. Maryland was held with no level for six minutes within the second quarter and had turnover problems with their very own in permitting the Irish to take the lead.
Sonia Citron has eight factors and Maddy Westbeld added seven factors, 4 rebounds and three fouls for Notre Dame, who shot 52 p.c within the first half.
Abby Meyers leads Maryland with 9 factors and Brinae Alexander has eight factors off the bench.
– Scooby Axson
Find out how to watch, stream girls’s Candy 16 NCAA Event video games?
The Candy 16 for the NCAA girls’s basketball match suggestions off Saturday with motion at Bon Secours Wellness Enviornment in Greenville, South Carolina, and Local weather Pledge Enviornment in Seattle:
►No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Maryland
Time/TV: Saturday, 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN
►No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 1 South Carolina
Time/TV: Saturday, 2:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
►No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 2 UConn
Time/TV: Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET, ABC
►No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 4 Tennessee
Time/TV: Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Watchability rankings: Virginia Tech needs to be what Tennessee was
That is solely the second journey to the Candy 16, and first since 1999, for Virginia Tech, who’s attempting to determine themselves as one of many nation’s high applications. Profitable the ACC match and getting a No. 1 seed helped, but when they need to maintain themselves within the dialog subsequent season and the season after that, the Hokies have to maintain profitable.
The Elite Eight was once such a given for Tennessee it was virtually part of its schedule. However the Girl Vols have not gotten that far since 2016. That is actually the primary crew that is regarded to have the potential of the Tennessee groups of previous, and its performances within the first two rounds reminded folks why they have been a classy Last 4 decide within the preseason.
– Nancy Armour, Lindsay Schnell
Twelve girls head coaches superior to the Candy 16, essentially the most since 2015, when 13 girls head coaches took their groups that deep (three of them are the identical: South Carolina’s Daybreak Staley, Maryland’s Brenda Freese and Iowa’s Lisa Bluder). Solely as soon as in match historical past have all 16 groups been coached by girls — the primary yr, in 1982.
Three of the 12 are Black girls — Staley, Ole Miss’ Yolette McPhee-McCuin and Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey — a quantity that resonates in a sport with 44% Black athletes.
“It’s necessary simply because I’ve aspirations of wanting to educate,” mentioned Tennessee’s Jordan Walker, a senior guard. “To have the ability to see Daybreak Staley and Coach Yo in these positions it’s similar to, wow, little Black women, they’ll do it, too. It’s actually inspiring. It makes you need to push more durable, as a result of the foot is within the doo. With three (Black girls) within the Candy 16 proper now, what can it’s later down the road?”
– Lindsay Schnell
Whereas Aliyah Boston is well crucial piece of the Gamecocks roster, she’s not the most important challenge for opposing groups. It’s her teammates.
Boston, together with the remainder of the beginning 5 led South Carolina to the general No. 1 seed and the presumptive favourite to repeat as nationwide champions. Most in girls’s basketball — together with South Carolina’s Candy 16 opponent, fourth-seeded UCLA — would like to have even one of many Gamecocks starters on their roster. However they’d even be thrilled to get a reserve.
– Lindsay Schnell
Recap: Caitlin Clark powers No. 2 Iowa into Elite Eight over No. 6 Colorado
SEATTLE — One other day, one other 30-point recreation from Caitlin Clark.
Iowa’s junior guard, scored 31 and dished eight assists Friday because the second-seeded Hawkeyes superior to the Elite Eight with an 87-77 win over sixth-seeded Colorado at Local weather Pledge Enviornment.
Colorado had loads of alternatives to chop into Iowa’s lead however couldn’t capitalize. The Buffs outrebounded Iowa 40-32, and grabbed 21 offensive boards, however they might solely flip these into 15 second-chance factors (Iowa, in the meantime, scored 11 second-chance factors of its personal).
– Lindsay Schnell
Recap: No. 3 LSU wins thriller over No. 2 Utah
The sport was neck and neck the entire means, however the No. 3 LSU Tigers got here out victorious Friday over the No.2 Utah Utes, 66-63. Utah had an opportunity to take the lead with 4 seconds left within the recreation after occurring a 7-0 run, however Jenna Johnson missed each of her free throws. LSU’s Alexis Morris sealed the deal and despatched the Tigers to their first Elite Eight since 2008 along with her personal pair of free throws.
– Victoria Hernandez